Russell hadda go see the vetdokter today on accounta he been havin purroblems with his legs not workin rite, havin some pain when movin, and not bein able to jump and stuff. At furst the vetdokter thot a purrevious legg purroblem might have caused a crooshiate liggamint tear, so they doped Russ up and took x-rated pichurs of him and did a eggzam while he was quiet.
Well, it turned out that it isn't actually his leggs at all that is the purroblem ... it's his back. He gots very severe spondylosis, which is like osteoarthuritis ... bony spurs built up on the vertebraes. In Russ' case, the bony areas have made thick bridges acrost his disc spaces and is kinda makin his spine sorta fused. He gots them from neck to tail, and at least one of them bridges has a stress frakchur in it. So that is why he havin trubble jumpin and standin and havin some pain.
Russ is on some pred fur now to help any inflammashun and may hafta go on metacam fur pain iffen the pred don't help much. We'll see how it goes ... he might have fell or twisted and that why he hurtin now. This won't get any betterer, and prolly will get worser, so we gotta tell Russ to be careful, no jumpin, and no other kits jump on him!
Lubby, Ashli
(Russ' sisfur)
